The Bruce McLaren Trust
The Bruce McLaren Trust was publicly launched at Wings & Wheels, Whenuapai, Auckland in March 1997. 
In July 1990 a small memorial trust had been formed to honour Bruce. Upon its closure in 1995, it was realised by the McLaren family and Ross Jensen that there was a need to form a permanent trust. Therefore in response to repeated demands to commemorate Bruce McLaren’s achievements and honour him as one of New Zealand’s international heroes, the new Trust was formed by Ross Jensen and Bruce’s younger sister Jan McLaren. The overall purpose of the Bruce McLaren Trust is to be a living working memorial to Bruce McLaren and the McLaren Team heritage. Bruce McLaren was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1937 and was killed tragically whilst testing one of his cars at Goodwood circuit, England in June 1970. From the young school boy with Perthes Disease, strapped to a metal frame at the Wilson Home in Takapuna, Auckland, to a world class international motor racing driver, engineer and designer whose name is still used in Formula 1 motor racing today, is a remarkable achievement. With fellow New Zealanders, Denny Hulme and Chris Amon, Bruce took on the might of the international motor racing world and triumphed with enormous success. It was all about team work and there is no doubt that Bruce and his team did for New Zealand and New Zealand motorsport in the 1960s and 1970s what Sir Peter Blake and Team Black Magic have done for New Zealand and New Zealand yachting today.
News/Events
COVID-19
Bruce McLaren Heritage Centre
In light of the fast-moving pace of this virus we have decide to close the centre for the next 2 weeks
As much as we would like you to visit, we believe this is the right step to take in the protection of our staff but also to slow the spread for all New Zealanders
We will review this decision again in 2 weeks, Thank you for your support
COVID-19
Overseas Visitors and travellers coming to the Heritage Centre
As per the NZ Government guidelines we are sorry but we have decided we must decline all Travellers that have been in NZ for less then 14 days to visit the Heritage Centre
As much as we would like you to visit, we have decided this is not only for our protection but also for our NZ visitors to keep us as safe as practical
We will review this decision again in 2 weeks, Thank you for your support
M6GT simply amazingThese days Bruce McLaren’s M6GT lives in the United States, and is looked after by a team at McLaren Chicago. In its entire life it has covered just 2094 miles. It still has its original tyres… and we’re driving it around the city streets of Downtown, holding our breath as the incredibly low prototype narrowly clears the bumps in the road.
Read more here: cars.mclaren.com/gb-en/latest/post/mclarens-first-gt-revisited-after-50-years
Surely they can’t be the original tyres! They’d be perished, hard and dangerous to use.
It’s possible, it’s traveled further on a ship, in a container, than the miles on the clock! 😳🤔😄
Looks great, what is the soundtrack like?
Lucky it isn’t on cinder blocks with the wheels missing!
Wasted driving it in the city
Baz Goldsworthy
Well done Hugh Congratulations
Awesome. Congratulations to Hugh. Should have happened sooner!
Well overdue
🇳🇿🏁🇳🇿🏁🇳🇿🏁🇳🇿🏁🇳🇿👏👏👏👏👏❤️🏆🍾🥂
Fred Hamlett Remember seeing him race at Pukekohe NZGP meetings in 1963 and 1964
We are saddened to hear of the passing of McLaren Old Boy Bruce Harre. From Hunterville, New Zealand, Bruce was the third person to join the McLaren team based in Colnbrook, UK and worked on building the race cars. The photo below is from 1964 and shows the team gathered around the scale model of the new M1 sports car, from left to right, Bruce McLaren, Wally Willmott, Bruce Harre, Howden Ganley & Eoin Young.
Our condolences to the Harre family and friends 🙁
Fred Hamlett
Lovey bloke Bruce was, I always enjoyed a chat with him. Those originals were the foundation of McLaren They are remembered...
Loved listening to his stories in the raw footage working on the McLaren doco. Always with a smile on his face.
I'll always treasure chatting with Bruce, so entertaining and full of enthusiasm.
in good company with his mates
Another Kiwi Legend... Gone; never forgotten. Wrench in Peace Bruce.. say hello to Wal and all. Arohanui Te W'anau.
Dad was proud to have worked with exceptional people as he called them at McLaren.....RIP Dad!
Sad news. A very interesting guy to talk to and always friendly. He had truly 'been there done that'. His trade mark to me was how carried his tyre gauge with one end in each back pocket.
Show stu this please Michelz Mshelz Morrison RIP
Very sad, rest in Peace Bruce..
Trophy of the month for January is for the MRC (Motor Racing Club Trophy, awarded to the first NZ finisher in the feature race) Challenge Trophy a 150 mile race driven by Bruce in the Lycoming Special at the ninth Lady Wigram meeting held at the Wigram airfield circuit on the 23rd of January 1960.
Bruce’s own Cooper had had a piston collapse and so was out of action. A friend Malcolm Gill offered Bruce the Ralph Watson Built Lycoming Special so that Bruce would be able to drive at the meeting.
The car takes its name from the flat four aeroplane Lycoming motor mounted at the front of the car with drive to the rear wheels. Quite different from the Cooper’s Bruce was more used to. The engine was 4.7L and only revved to around 3000rpm, immense torque was available from 1000 through to 3000 so that only a couple of gear changes were needed each lap, the car was also relatively quiet and Bruce commented that he could hear the public address system while racing. Having started last on the back row Bruce finished fourth.
Bruce wrote about the race in his biography From the Cockpit which is referenced for this story.
More great viewing
www.youtube.com/channel/UC3tu0bywE_RrNar8LqRo5jQ here are the other 3 episodes if you haven't seen them
Here is your chance to watch it again"McLaren" the movie/documentary plays on Prime free to air in NZ on Sunday at 8.30pm. If you haven't seen it, its a must watch.( note that many of the driving sequences in the movie were done by our own legend Tony Roberts).
Wonderful viewing, bring it on.
Cerice DeLacy this Sunday nite.
Pat Harris
60th Anniversary
Bruce McLaren
1st F1 Grand Prix Win
12th Dec 1959 USA Sebring Cooper T51 2.5L
Youngest winner of a Grand Prix age 22, record stood for 44 years
Absobloodylutely Fantabulous...Bruce was my boyhood hero and it was a great loss to NZ and the World when he departed this earth way too young....
What a Victory! What a true #Kiwi #Hero
Gone too soon, a brilliant man with much more talent to share. RIP #kiwi #hero
My insightful question is what is the role of the guy standing adjacent to the chap with the chequered flag ???
Another one to watch tomorrow night 🙂
This content isn't available at the moment
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people or changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Enjoyed the first two episodes with David Oxton & Paul Adams. Their stories bring back many good memories!
Awesome!
telling like it is
Two wins?
Photo I found on the internet today of Gerald "Jerry" Powell repairing the GT40, we love finding out these new bits of information and the photo top's it off, Thanks Garritt Powell Powell Racing for sharing this
When this car came back from Le mans it was touring Indianapolis, they backed it off the trailer and ripped the door open on it. My grandpa was the best composite guy in Indy at the time and owned a shop right down the street from the track. This is him with it in his barn after fixing it.
Thanks for the spotlight! Jerry Powell
#2 is correct 🙂. Congratulations, Ken Miles / Denny Hulme
Significant item of the Month
This month something different from the usual trophy. The signed steering wheel from Emerson Fittipaldi’s 1974 McLaren M23 Formula 1 World Championship winning car.
The steering wheel was highly functional and the only piece of ‘electronics’ was an engine cut out switch, it measures 27cm in diameter.
In 1974 the Marlboro sponsored team was Emerson Fittipaldi in car #5 and Denny Hulme in Car #6, a watershed year for the team, Fittipaldi winning the drivers’ championship and McLaren the manufacturers with the Gordon Coppuck designed M23, powered by a Ford Cosworth 3 litre V8.
Thanks to Phil Sharp for donating this wonderful item of memorabilia.
Should be great viewing tonight, if you don't have sky I understand this is the YouTube link youtu.be/wvFhl0SIwp0
I have it on Seres Link Recording on Sky Sports NZ. Will Share and remind Motorsports Fans and Enthusiasts again too. Thanks.
Trophy of the Month for November is for the "Rootes Group Veteran Car Run".
A celebration of the emancipation of the automobile from the “red flag act” that required cars traveled no faster than 4 mph and preceded by a person with a red flag. The maximum speed was lifted to 14 mph, the new law to take effect on Nov 14th 1896 and to celebrate a run from London to Brighton was organised by the first Car Club in the UK and is still held every year with the exception of the war years and petrol rationing. Only cars produced before January 1 1905 are eligible.
In 1964 Bruce McLaren drove a 12hp 1904 Sunbeam with Chris Amon in the passenger seat & Eoin Young in the back seat. A pewter mug was presented to participants and is on display in our trophy room..
Amanda, here is your Dad on the London to New Brighton Rally
Eion Young Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren
We are always honored when we receive gifts to our Heritage Centre by visitors that then can go on display for the enjoyment of our visitors.
We have recently received from Dan Young from Australia a 50th McLaren anniversary cap, from Larry Moore from USA a scale model and display case of a 1/18 scale McLaren Elva Mk 1 sports car and from Dennis Steinhardt from USA an original 70’s McLaren Marlboro F1 Team shirt and fantastic reference book on racing at Elkhart Lake and two Jwax stickers.
We are most grateful for your generosity that we can now share with everyone.
Brilliant 👍
Trophy of the Month for October was an event that used the McLaren family car, a Ford Pilot owned by Mum & Dad, Bruce was 17 at the time and was the navigator with Les driving the 650 mile Trial in 1954.
An event with direction notes for the navigator to tell the driver and arrive at check in places on the way. Roads from Waikato North were used both sealed and gravel.
We understand that points determined the winner rather than lap times.
Les and Bruce McLaren won the event for 1954.
Words on the trophy “Hamilton Car Club “NZ Championship and Indianapolis 500 Reliability Trial”. “L & B McLaren” 1954
If you have any information on this race please let us know as we would love to know more
trials were not races you were given instructions on where to go and times you were expected to average during stages and the road rules applied in the 50's and 60's they lasted for hours some 18 to 24 hour events which is where the reliability kicked in with older cars and poor roads
Denny Hulme has been recognized for his skill in saloon cars at Bathurst. So has another Kiwi great Greg Murphy. Legends from New Zealand
Greg Murphy and Denny Hulme inducted into Legends Lane
Greg Murphy and the late Denny Hulme have been inducted into the Legends Lane alongside Paul Morris and Peter Williamson. The quartet has been recognised for their contribution to motor racing at Moun...Le trophee du mois. The trophy of the month is for the fastest lap of Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant St Jovite in French speaking Quebec Canada. Bruce McLaren driving a McLaren Elva MKIIB Chev set fastest lap and finished second in the Players Quebec round of the 1966 Can-Am series at St Jovite, a road course of 4.26km and 17 turns built in 1964. The track was not used again for Can-Am till 1969.
A tribute to Bruce on his birthday from McLaren International. The first car that Bruce Raced the 750cc Austin Ulster built in 1929, which makes the car 90, while Bruce would have been 82
Happy Birthday Bruce McLaren born 30th August 1937 in Remuera Auckland New Zealand.
Photo is Mid Ohio August 1969 in the pits with the M8B
Thank you for posting it. My dad took that photo.
Nice pic of Bruce. NZ Weekly News. January 1963
The Guy in this photo - on the right was his Teacher at Seddon Tech in the early 1950's - a bit before Can-Am times ..[my Uncle Ed RIP too ] my Dad in the centre and a mate of theirs in Austin 7's Bruce raced a special one as is well known !!
1969, Can-Am 5.11, Mid-Ohio, 17.08.69, #4 Bruce McLaren, McLaren M8B-Chevrolet V8, 2º
My daughter Mia share's Bruce's BornDay... Happy BornDay to both Bruce and Mia...
The first race I ever attended!
Thank you,very Special pic and day.
On Wednesday 31st of July we welcomed members of the Austin Healey, Lotus and Morgan car clubs to the Heritage Centre. We talked about the different cars here in the shed and the memorabilia in the cabinets as well as the trophies upstairs, sharing the knowledge of NZ's rich history of motorsport. Thanks for your support. David & Zeta
Oh, ba and humbug, missed out on this one but great to see what looks like a lot of interest from fellow petrolheads.
What town are you in?
Some of that stuff, if it is still there, was donated by me...
The Segrave Trophy is awarded to the British national who demonstrates "Outstanding Skill, Courage and Initiative on Land, Water and in the Air". The trophy is named in honour of Sir Henry Segrave, the first person to hold both the land and water speed records simultaneously.
Bruce McLaren was awarded the trophy for his outstanding efforts in motorsport.
Here is another proud recipient. Awarded for demonstrating exceptional courage and determination after great adversity and returning to high levels of motorsport.”
Billy Monger becomes youngest Segrave Trophy winner
Billy Monger has been made the youngest-ever recipient of the Segrave Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club as he continues to focus on his Formula 1 ambitions. The 20-year-old had both of his lower leg...well deserved
It was our pleasure to be asked by the Production Race Series if they could hold their AGM and Prize Giving at the Heritage Centre. So last Sunday we welcomed about 40 people and gave them an overview of the collections, cars and memoribilia, thanks for visiting.. Production Race Series - New Zealand
Trophy of the month for August 2019
A gold medallion presented to Bruce McLaren for winning the Road America round of the Can-Am series on 31st August 1969.
He was driving the McLaren M8B high wing. Bruce would dominate the series that year winning six of the eleven races to claim the series win for 1969, with the McLaren team winning all eleven races.
Bruce celebrated his 32nd birthday the day before on the 30th, so a great present to win at the famous road course around Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin.
